Ch. 1321..1330

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1321

“But, you are much stronger than her in comparison. Everyone looks up to you and often praises your capabilities now. If your brother can’t open his own company, our family will be embarrassed to even continue living in our hometown. I’ve told our relatives that you have given your brother a lump sum of a few millions to open a company. Tsk, you haven’t seen Uncle Evans’s gaze—it was filled with envy, jealousy and resentment! What can he do since his daughter is not as capable as you? Hahaha!” Mr. Bishop was so full of himself when he talked about the incident. Christine’s success had earned him some respect from the locals, which also caused all of his friends and relatives to speak to him in a humble and careful manner since their children were not as capable as his daughter!

In particular, the Evans Family tried not to anger Mr. Bishop—Maddie’s father did not dare to confront him head-on!

Christine was beyond furious upon hearing that and immediately refuted, “Maddie is a reporter in Bayside City with a salary of barely 10,000 per month, which is basically nothing in Bayside City. She has a child whom she needs to raise and her husband’s salary is not high as well. They can’t even afford to buy a house, so giving 150,000 when Uncle Evans wanted to buy a house is already all that they can afford to give! Living in Bayside City is not easy for the two of them, but her family keeps asking her for money. She has to raise a child, and it’s not cheap to do that in Bayside City!”

However, Mr. Bishop fiercely went against her. “That’s because she is weak!”

Christine was at a loss for words. They only knew how to ask her for money and for her help to arrange their jobs and accommodation, completely ignoring the fact that she was struggling to make a living in the Bayside City without any backing. She had to start everything from scratch, which made earning money more arduous than eating sh*t. When her relatives from her hometown came, she had to take care of their food, living quarters and jobs—they would not accept anything less for the food and accommodation provided.

If she failed to treat them well, they would return and complain about her, which would then embarrass her parents.

She was slightly better off than Maddie—since she was living a carefree life as a single lady, without a spouse or child to care for and she could earn money from live streaming video games. However, that was not the case for Maddie. She was married with a child and her husband was in the army. Their combined salaries were not exactly high and they had a child to raise while living in a house that was allocated by the military units, and whenever Christine asked whether she could pay a visit, she would always be tactfully rejected.

Knowing that Maddie’s financial condition was weak, Christine stopped mentioning about her plans to visit her and her husband. Instead, she even tried to help Maddie whenever she had extra cash in hand. The two of them had helped each other while trying their best to make a living in Bayside City, but their relatives from their hometowns kept using the hard-earned money that they sent home to brag to one another.

“Alright, I’m hanging up. I will figure out a way to get that money.”

“This is my good daughter!”

…

Christine arrived at her agency in fury. The agency that she worked with rapidly rose in the last few years and now had a status which was almost on par with the mega companies of the olden days, such as Glory Entertainment and Imperial Entertainment. The company had a main star, Bethany, with a few rising stars including Christine.

When she arrived at the company today, she noticed that everyone there looked at her with a weird expression.

Her assistant hurried over and said, “Christine, why did you arrive so late? Something has happened! Your cousin brother and Tawny are in trouble! He peeked at Mia when she was changing clothes and Tawny was caught red-handed while stealing Bethany’s necklace. They are now being punished in the dance room!”

Upon hearing that news, Christine almost lost her vision. They were only here for a few days, but they already started to cause trouble for her.

Her cousin brother and Tawny were two peas in a pod—they were both kicked to Bayside City from their hometown and had spent a lot of Christine’s money, but they refused to earn an honest living.

Sure enough, they finally landed themselves into trouble.

When Christine arrived at the dance room, she immediately spotted her two cousins kneeling on the floor in tears while a bunch of artists giggled at one side as they watched the commotion. Bethany sat on a stool at one side and played with her phone, as if she was waiting for Christine to show up since the latter would have arrived by that time.

Upon seeing Tawny kneeling on the floor in her best outfit, Christine felt bad for the outfit while being furious at her. These two idiots are doing stupid things. I shouldn’t have agreed to help them with job-hunting!

Christine knew that Bethany would definitely not let the matter slide; she heard that Bethany was fighting hard to receive the few brand spokesperson projects that were ultimately given to her.

The enraged Christine took a broom and whacked her cousins, who were kneeling on the floor. “I really underestimate your abilities! You even have the courage to steal things and be a pervert! You guys are just amazing!”

No one had expected her cousins to be strong—they grabbed on her broom and the man even gave her a tight slap. “How dare you hit me! Even my parents have never laid a hand on me before! Who are you to hit me?”

He lacked courage to directly confront Bethany, but he had the audacity to do anything in front of Christine.

Upon seeing Christine being hit by her cousin, everyone burst into laughter as more people came to watch the drama, but nobody stepped forward to help. They were all newbies in the industry, but only Christine was the one receiving the benefits and progressed well with her career with spokesperson contracts coming to her non-stop. Therefore, they had been displeased with her, so all of them came to watch her in trouble.

His attitude had made Christine so mad that she nearly passed out as her tears kept rolling down her cheeks. “Why can’t I hit you? You actually spied at someone changing their clothes! Such a despicable act! I will tell your father and you will have to leave immediately!”

He did not feel embarrassed and felt that he did not do anything wrong. “Fine, I can leave! My father asked you to get me a job, but you actually asked me to become a security guard!”

Christine roared, “What else do you want?! Our company only hires security guards with high-school education, but you don’t even have that! You are already lucky to be able to work here!”

He was even more furious. “Do you think you are being reasonable for giving me a job as a security guard? You are wealthy with so many connections, so it’s easy for you to get me an easy job that pays 10 thousand per month. You just want to watch me suffer here!”

She never expected that after trying her best and landing him a job as a security guard, which paid 7,000 to 8,000 per month with food and accommodation included, he still found it a pain. “If you are so capable, go and find a job yourself! Get lost!”

Her cousin brother was still arrogant. “I’m going to leave anyway!”

The sneaky Tawny wanted to take advantage of the situation and escape as well while pushing the crime of stealing the necklace to Christine alone. Tawny did not expect that after taking only two steps, Bethany, who had been watching the show in silence, suddenly and coldly uttered, “Leaving so soon? Where do you think you are going?”

A few security guards caught the Bishop siblings, who attempted to escape, and made them kneel before Bethany.

“Kneel down!” Even Christine was forced to be on her knees.

She was reluctant to do so, but it was actually quite common for seniors to bully their juniors in the industry. All she could do now was to lower her head and pray that Bethany would cool down after she kneeled for a while.

While holding a pearl necklace in her hands, Bethany said, “This necklace is the upcoming new release of the jewelry brand under the Ronney Group and costs 3 million.”

Upon hearing 3 million, Christine’s heart skipped a beat.

As expected, Bethany threw the necklace on the floor in front of her the next moment. It caused the necklace to be broken while top-notch golden pearls rolled all over the floor. “Christine, your cousin broke my necklace. You were the one who introduced her into the company, so do as you see fit!”

Christine broke in perspiration due to anxiety and stammered. “I-I will look for a store to fix this. You still can wear it after it has been repaired.”

However, she knew that Bethany had intentionally taken the opportunity to give her hell today—it was all the fault of those two idiots!

Meanwhile, upon hearing that Bethany was going to push the blame to Christine, the Bishop siblings instantly heaved a sigh of relief.

Tawny, who suddenly thought of something, raised her head and loudly declared, “It was Christine who asked me to steal the necklace! It has nothing to do with me, Bethany! It was all her fault!” She crawled to Bethany’s feet and pointed at Christine while taking the chance to complain. “She stayed out all night yesterday. She wasn’t home all day and night! I don’t know who she hooked up with!”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1322

Christine looked at Tawny in disbelief. “Tawny, what are you babbling about? I was at an event and it was reported on the news. After that, I was playing games at an internet cafe all night long.”

But, no one really cared where she had gone.

“Christine stayed out all night long playing games? Who would even believe such a lie? I think she must have found herself a sugar daddy! Nobody from our line of work would stay out all night merely to play games. She must be lying!”

Christine found it hard to defend herself with everyone gossiping about her.

In their industry, if one stayed out all night, it was akin to having a sugar daddy.

She felt so much rage that she started to pant heavily as she did not expect her cousins to be ungrateful after she had been treating them well enough all the while.

Bethany snorted arrogantly and added, “Since you have found yourself a sugar daddy, be sure to repair my necklace.”

She rose to her feet and swayed her hips as she walked about in her high heels. In no time, a bunch of her followers rushed after her.

Christine cluelessly looked in the direction that Bethany was heading toward. She had to hold back her tears the moment she saw the set of pearl necklace that Bethany held in her hand. Three million! Where am I going to get three million? I’m barely scraping by to feed myself as it is.

Both her cousins were also kicked out.

It was not long until her family learned about it. “Christine, what have you done? You couldn’t even handle such a small matter, could you? How am I supposed to deal with this when it blows up in our family? Word has been spreading like wildfire from other families. I am so embarrassed,” her father said.

Christine burst into angry tears as she replied, “Was it my fault that Tawny stole things and Jay peeped on the artist who was changing clothes in the company? He was the one who did all of that, yet the fault is being pinned on me!”

Her father boiled in anger. “Well, if you had introduced a girl to become his girlfriend, he wouldn’t be bothering others now, would he? He merely stole a few trivial items. Could you just settle this somehow? Do you even realize how much embarrassment you have brought upon me? Now, everyone says that you and I are incompetent,” he stated in a fit of rage.

She felt sad and whimpered, “So, it’s my fault again? Everything is my fault, huh! All of you have never thought about me and how I struggled alone in a strange place. They treated me like a bank card, expecting me to cover their expenses and sought after me for employment. Why can’t they get a job by themselves?”

Mr. Bishop grunted. “I don’t care. You have to resolve this. You have to take care of them! I am going to hang up now.”

Christine was in the midst of sorting out the paperwork of departure for the siblings at the company’s entrance. Unexpectedly, her cousin had overheard Christine’s conversation with her dad and decided to start an argument with her at the entrance.

“We came to Bayside City to make money—and just look at the kind of job you have arranged for me. Not to mention, you even gave a place with horrible living conditions!” her cousin said plausibly. “While you are enjoying your good life, we are working hard in the company and staying in a dormitory!”

Tawny felt aggrieved. “I stayed in your closet and had to settle with your hand-me-downs. I didn’t make any money in the company. In fact, I was abused everyday. All the dirty jobs were done by me. I shouldn’t have listened to you and let myself be influenced by you to come to Bayside City in the beginning. Back in my hometown, I was doing just fine.”

Christine finally knew their true colors and replied angrily, “Was I the one who pestered the two of you to come here? If it wasn’t for your family who sent you both to me, I wouldn’t have taken you both in! If the jobs I’ve gotten for you are not enough, why don’t you find yourself a job instead? You both did not even graduate from junior high school. What type of job did you both expect to get? Even the cleaners in our company are high school graduates.”

Tawny felt insulted and snarled on the spot, “You made us do dirty, lowly jobs just because we don’t have any qualifications!”

Christine found that it was impossible to reason with them anymore. She realized that she, an artist, was quarreling with someone in front of the agency and had caused quite a scene. A crowd of onlookers had gathered and started to take out their mobile phones to snap pictures of the gaffes she had made.

She then rushed to take out a mask to cover herself in hopes of avoiding any scandals. However, her cousin ripped off her mask unexpectedly then shouted, “Well, explain yourself then, Christine Bishop! Say it as you mean it! Just because you are richer than us, you are looking down on us! You look down on my family! How did your parents raise you to become cunning?”

Christine felt the flash of the camera shine on her face as she looked at the camera. She quickly covered her face with her hands and yelled, “Let me go!”

Her cousin clearly wanted to humiliate her as he deliberately grabbed her to reveal her face in an attempt to give the chance for others to intimidate her.

At that point, she felt extremely helpless.

A car suddenly pulled up in front of the office—it was Maddie Evans. She barged her way through the crowd towards Christine. Maddie then removed her coat right away to cover Christine’s head before the both of them immediately left.

Both siblings chased after them with the clear intention of wanting to say something. Maddie, who was ahead of them, yelled, “Get the f*ck out of the way! You both broke the law, stole things, and on top of that, peeped on an actress who was bathing. I will call the police if you both dare to challenge me any further.”

The both of them knew better than to push Maddie’s buttons any further. Maddie immediately took Christine to the car and they left in a haste.

In the car, Christine wept uncontrollably to the point where Maddie felt sorry for her. She had to drive carefully while concurrently comforting Christine.

Soon afterward, word had spread amongst Christine’s relatives and cousins in her hometown and caused them to mock her while they gloated about the incident. The Bishop family has been showing off all this time! Now that things have gone south, there is absolutely no way they can get out of this! Instead of feeling embarrassed by the actions of the two offenders, the Bishop family is embarrassed with Christine’s incompetence to cover up the matter. Christine, who is always praised so extravagantly by her father, can’t even handle such a small issue. She has failed to live up to her status as a superstar!

Maddie knew her family well enough and how society worked. Hence, she continuously pretended that she was poor.

She painted a picture that exemplified that she did not have any money—a simple working-class pauper with a grass-root paratrooper husband whose house that was allocated by the unit was nothing more than just a basement. They did not have a house of their own and they also had a son to raise on a $10,000 salary per month that she received from her work as an editor at a press.

If someone from her hometown asked her to arrange for a job, she would make it clear to them that they had to attend the interviews themselves. As for the accommodation and money, they needed to find their own ways to source and manage them.

Maddie was terrified at the thought of family members coming to her like how Christine’s family, including some relatives, had done countless times in the past. Now if it was just a favor to help them find jobs, I’d be okay with that. If it is to cover up the troubles that they have caused? That’s a big no no. What a mess to deal with! They didn’t even think of Christine, who is merely a young lady in her twenties!

Yet, Christine’s avaricious brothers back at her hometown still greedily demanded money from her from time to time to buy houses. They truly were the epitome of the saying, ‘give them an inch and they will take a mile’.

Maddie was also aware of what her own circle of relatives in her hometown said about her and Her dad would scold both her and her husband for being losers, unlike Christine, who was successful. She said nothing because she was happy to be poor.

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1323

Christine was a fool since she would naively comply each time her family asked for money. It was the same if someone from her hometown asked her to help them to find a job—she would provide them with food and accommodation while taking the trouble to go around to look for a job for them.

All her relatives needed to do was just rest at a fancy hotel while waiting for the jobs to knock on their doorstep.

In no time, her good reputation had spread far and wide through word of mouth. People from her hometown came to look for her and complimented her father for having raised his daughter into who she was. But, on the flip side, no one thought of how she struggled in Bayside City on her own.

Maddie comforted Christine as they drove to the latter’s house. At home, Christine continued to cry as calls from her family members kept coming in with each one taking turns to berate her.

Maddie resented the thought of returning to her hometown and she vouched never to return. She did not want to have anything with the people back home. But then, it’s still my home and where my roots are.

She had to simply evade them for Christine’s sake.

Christine cried for a while. Then, Maddie advised her to take a day off and return to work the next day.

Maddie then headed home as she thought about what had happened. Shortly after, she opened her jewelry box.

Normally, she would make an effort to wear the same attire as her colleagues and try not to stand out from the crowd. But, at the same time, she did not want to appear shabby while disliking luxury items. However, as the youngest Madam Fletcher in the family, she definitely had a few presentable pieces of jewelry. She dug through the box and found a string of pearl necklaces that were more expensive than what Bethany owned.

Maddie never had the chance to wear it or even remove it from its packaging.

She knew that having broken Bethany’s necklace, Christine had caused quite a ruckus because of what she earned. In their industry, it sounded exaggerated that an endorsement would pay up to millions. However, only one-tenth of the amount would be in the artist’s pocket, provided that the agency was reliable.

Christine was not even an A-list celebrity—she was merely a newbie and ranked as a D-list celebrity at best. By putting two and two together, it was certain that she could not afford to pay three million as she just gave several million to her family to purchase a house and did not have any money left.

On the other hand, Maddie did not have the time or opportunity to wear it. I might as well let Christine have it since she is in a dire need of a necklace. Since Joel never checks my jewelry box, he will never discover it anyway.

Yet, she was unwilling to give it away and allow other women to wear it since it was a gift from Joel.

She carefully put it back and planned to bring it with her the next day.

By the time Joel returned home at night, she had already cooked dinner. Drew and Lorelei were also home too.

From the day she arrived, Lorelei had always been a mischievous child. When Joel first adopted her, she could not speak even a word of Cethosian, and since the former was rather busy with work, Maddie, as the child’s mother, had to teach her to speak the language from scratch, all the while learning it herself.

Over time, Lola had learned to speak Cethosian while Maddie’s fluency in the language tremendously improved—so much so that she could interview dignitaries with ease.

“Papa, Mommy,” Lola suddenly greeted in fluent Cethosian.

“Hey!” Joel exclaimed aloud as he reached out for her. Both father and daughter were about to practice martial arts with each other.

Maddie carried Drew over and placed him down. “Drew will be as good as Papa and his sister in the future!” she said.

Although he looked aloof, he was actually clingier than anyone else.

As her family had a happy and harmonious home, she felt that her life was perfect. She even vowed to hold onto it and would not allow those from their hometown to cause her trouble.

Just as she had expected, Christine’s father rang her. “What are you doing? Your uncle’s daughter, Tawny has gone missing. You should help them to look for her.”

After hanging up on the phone, Maddie murmured, “My a*s! She should just get lost for good.”

However, she knew that she had no choice but to look for Tawny. She quickly gave Christine a ring and relayed the news to her. “Chrissy, Tawny has not returned. I can’t get her through the phone—” she revealed in a worried tone.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry, I am coming to your place right now. Wait for me at home; let’s look for her together,” Christine replied.

Since Tawny is missing, they will surely look for Christine and thrash it out with her. Maddie would be worried to death if Christine went missing late at night, but not Tawny.

After Maddie hung up, she immediately changed her clothes and informed Joel. “Dear, I have to be at the office as I have to report on a piece of breaking news. I’ll be working throughout the night. Do not wait for me and rest early.”

While she was changing her clothes, he silently made his way behind her as he asked, “What is the news about?”

“There are two African countries at war again. The editorial department has to ensure that the script is ready on time for tomorrow morning,” she lied.

She lowered her head and searched for her purse as she dared not look into his eyes.

However, Joel was not easily deceived as he suddenly grabbed her and stared at her. “Which countries in Africa are at war? Who is involved with the crossfire? Where is the location?”

Damn it! Maddie suddenly recalled her husband’s profession. He will definitely be the first person to know of such news. She then babbled, “How would I know? My boss asked all of us to be there immediately.”

Joel knew she lied—she was clearly being bothered by something earlier that was not work-related. He never poked his nose in her work and she never fancied it for him to do so either. Something has happened.

Maddie also never shared about the happenings of her hometown with him. On top of that, she never allowed her family to return to Bayside City either.

Joel had barely contacted the Evans Family. When he proposed to Maddie, they had only spent a day in the city to meet the parents and register their marriage. He did not even reveal his identity during that trip. So, in the eyes of the Evans Family, he was merely a senior soldier who was also a bachelor.

The Evans Family knew that Joel was a registered resident of Bayside City, which resulted in a generous betrothal gift. They had asked for one hundred thousand and he gave the exact amount without any hesitation. After giving the betrothal gift, Maddie merely left with him. He did not contact the Evans Family since then as he was always on the move. Each time he planned to visit them, it so happened that he was posted on a mission, leaving him with no choice but to abort the plan. It was Maddie who continuously kept in touch with the Evans Family.

As she started to break out in sweat at the sight of his piercing eyes, she feared that he would know she lied. Unexpectedly, he stroked her hair and gently asked, “Are your relatives in trouble? I heard someone calling you cousin over the phone.”

She continued to lie and replied, “No, it was just my colleague.”

He knew she had landed herself in a mess, but upon realizing that she refused to divulge anything, he then added, “Go and get dressed. I will drive you there. It’s late at night; I am not going to let you go out alone.”

Maddie was taken aback and instinctively held onto Joel, who turned and was about to drive his car. She stammered, “S-S-Something did happen. I have a cousin who went out alone and went missing because of a little setback at work. Now, she is not contactable.”

He was speechless. Such a little fool!

Joel wanted to be the one to take her, but in the end, he firmly bit his lips and responded, “You should have told me; this is a serious matter.”

She murmured, “If I tell you this and you end up escalating things, the situation would really be bad. What if others accuse you of abusing your power?”

She was a news writer and well aware that reporters fancied a good scoop to pen their headlines.

Joel wore some casual clothes while saying, “There won’t be any issues. Today, I am not Joel. I am just Maddie’s husband. Your cousin is missing and as an in-law, I ought to help to look for her, right?”

It warmed Maddie’s heart. My hubby is simply a gem of a person.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1324

Christine was desperately waiting in her house for Joel and Maddie to drive over to the point where she burst in tears. When she opened the door, she was startled by the sight of a handsome and elegant man following behind Maddie and asked, “Maddie, who is he?”

A little embarrassed by the question, Maddie blushed as she introduced, “This is my husband, Joel.” She had always kept Joel a secret. Her colleagues and family did not even know of his existence. So, it was actually the first time that she had introduced him to anyone.

Christine was shocked to see Joel because she had often heard from her family’s rumor mill about Maddie’s husband. Rumors had it that he was a 40-year-old loner who could not find any maiden to marry in Bayside City. How embarrassing is that? In fact, she had almost reckoned that Maddie’s family wanted to marry Maddie off for Joel’s extravagant betrothal gift of one hundred thousand. I can’t believe Maddie’s husband turns out to be this outstanding.

Joel was surprised as well when he saw her. Maddie had briefly informed him about the incident on the way. I didn’t even know that Christine’s actually a cousin of Maddie’s? Isn’t Christine Stanley’s girlfriend? She is also Maddie’s cousin! This is so unbelievable. Wait. Why isn’t Stanley here when Christine needs help? For God’s sake, he’s terrible at relationships! Let’s forget about that; we should find Tawny first.

The three of them headed out in the dark and drove around in search of Tawny. She would not be able to go far since she was here for less than a month and did not have any friends while being unfamiliar with the surroundings.

Her brother was nowhere to be found too as he did not give a damn about his own sister. Instead, Christine and Maddie were the ones worried.

Joel figured that aimlessly driving around was not a good idea to look for Tawny, so he went to make a phone call and within a few minutes, he found out where Tawny was. “She’s at the Royal Oak pub.”

Therefore, the three of them hurried to the pub. Finally, they found Tawny hanging out at the corner of the pub. Christine approached and gave her a slap. “Is running away all you know? Do you have any idea how worried we are?” she bellowed.

Tawny was dumbstruck by the sudden attack. She stood up furiously and raised her hand in an attempt to return the slap, but froze at the sight of Maddie and a handsome man standing behind Christine.

“Since we have found her, let’s leave then,” Joel urgently prompted. This pub is especially not safe. It is a good thing that we arrived when we did; otherwise, who knows what will happen to Tawny?

Tawny, who was arrogant a minute ago, seemed to be enticed at once by Joel as she followed them back to their car. When Joel drove, it was quiet in the car as no one spoke. Maddie was in the shotgun seat while Tawny and Christine were both in the backseat. Tawny glanced around the car, but no one knew what she was looking at.

When Joel stopped by the roadside to drop the Bishop sisters off, he specially offered, “I’m pretty familiar with the Bayside City. Come and look for me if you ever need help.”

“Maddie, Joel, thank you so much!” Christine gratefully said. “It’s getting dark; you guys should head home now!” Joel nodded before driving off.

Tawny was still staring at the car even after Joel and Maddie had left a long time ago. “That’s an expensive Range Rover. I bet it costs at least a few millions!” she commented.

Christine slapped Tawny’s shoulder in disgust. “It’s none of your business!” How pathetic! She has already been here for some time but what has she learned? Nothing! Instead, she’s more interested in fawning over luxury goods and spends her days ogling over fancy cars, jewelry, and branded items. I bet she knows more about those luxury brands than their own staff! All she has ever done is fantasize that one day she could marry a rich CEO who would take care of her. For God’s sake, she should know her own standards! Does she not know how incompetent she is?

Christine had lost all of her patience with Tawny and her brother ever since that incident happened. All she hoped now was for them to leave. It no longer mattered what their family had to say because she had firmly made her decision not to help them anymore. What she never expected was Tawny’s insistence to work in Maddie’s company the next day and even sought her family’s help with the persistent demand.

Their family also felt that since Christine had decided not to help her siblings find a job, they should ask Maddie instead. When Maddie heard about it, she felt helpless. Fine! Whatever! Since my company is recently recruiting a cleaner with accommodation provided, I should just readily agree.

She hurriedly brought over that box of jewelry to Christine, who refused to accept the gift. “Maddie, this is too valuable; I can’t accept it! You should keep it! I have already thought of a solution for the necklace.”

“Let me tell you something,” Maddie whispered while pretending to be mysterious. “These kinds of jewelry are a form of fake hype that is specifically used to trick wealthy people. Their manufacturing cost is actually less than one percent of the market price.”

“Well, since we’re in the media industry, those jewelers always give us presents,” she continued speaking. “Take a look at this piece—it costs at least a few million in the market, but its manufacturing cost is actually only within the tens of thousands. The branding is what makes it expensive. I’m not using them anyway. You can keep it and pay your debt to Bethany. When you earn more in the future, you can pay me back then.”

Christine seemed to be persuaded by Maddie’s explanation. However, she still wanted to write a receipt for Maddie based on the internal manufacturing cost.

“Don’t you shoulder this debt alone!” Maddie warned Christine as she kept the receipt. “Get it back from whoever is responsible!”

Christine nodded. However, when she asked her father to get the money back from Tawny’s family, Tawny did not pay up. Christine cannot believe that her father had forgiven Tawny’s debt just to prove how big-hearted he was.

When Tawny moved to Maddie’s company dormitory, Christine was angered to the point where she changed the house lock and swore that she would never help her family again. If Maddie had not brought the jewelry to her, Christine would not have been able to pay the debts.

Tawny and her brother went on to work in Maddie’s company. Sure enough, the moment they arrived, they were up to their dishonest antics. When they learned that Maddie was actually the editor-in-chief and her company was much bigger than Christine’s as it was a conglomerate with a whole building, Tawny asked around about Maddie’s salary and family background.

Maddie knew about their behaviors. I already know how untrustworthy and deceitful these two are. After seeing how they have caused trouble for Christine, I have been cautious with them.

As the company’s salary was a confidential matter, Tawny was unable to know anything even if she wanted to. Maddie had kept her family background well-hidden—no one in the company knew anything except the fact that she was married to a soldier. Her husband’s rank was also kept a secret so that no one would ask questions about him. In Bayside City, no one truly knew anyone’s background. Never judge even the company’s janitor. You never know that they might even be from a wealthy family!

Tawny had always licked Maddie’s boots at every chance she had and tried everything in her power to move into the latter’s house. However, Maddie had used various kinds of reasons to reject her, either by repeating that her house was tiny or that it was inconvenient. Does she want to live in my house? No way!

Tawny changed her approach when she saw how firm Maddie was. In the end, Maddie received a call from her own father. “I heard that you have arranged for Tawny to work in your company, right?” Maddie’s father interrogated her when she answered his call. “And you even let her stay in the dorm?”

“Yeap, the cleaner’s salary is about four to five thousand,” Maddie replied in a flat tone. “Only the accommodation is provided with a living arrangement of about 8 people to a unit dormitory.”

Mr. Evans snapped. “Is this how you treat your cousin? Christine gave them a job that comes with accommodation and food with a salary of seven to eight thousand! Learn from Christine, will you?” Her father continued to hiss. “Do you know how they would gossip about you and about me behind our backs? They’re laughing at your inability!”

Maddie was enraged by her father’s words. Of course! Those incompetent fools just have to talk nonsense about me!

Ever since both she and Joel were promoted, she could not stand verbal abuses any longer. Hence, she yelled, “This is how I am! If she dislikes what I have arranged for her, she’s free to leave! We’re not wealthy, okay? We live in a house that is given by the military. I still need to take care of my child, you know? I don’t even have what it takes to take care of myself and you want me to do everything for them? Yes, I am useless with no ability! So what? What can you do about it?”

Mr. Evans retaliated. “You should at least find a better place for her to live in! How can you let her stay in that dormitory hall? She’s her family’s princess; don’t you know that? How about this—let her stay at your house, alright? I’m sure you have at least two bedrooms…”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1325

Maddie immediately rebuked her father’s suggestion. “No. Joel is just a low-level soldier. He still has a long way to go before receiving a promotion. Being allocated a house is pretty generous in and of itself, yet you expect a two-bedroom apartment?! I’m afraid you’re being way too idealistic about Bayside City! We don’t even have a one-bedroom apartment! All we have is a studio apartment. The kitchen is right next to our bed, and my son sleeps on the sofa! That’s my current living situation! If she comes, she can sleep in the corridor!”

Mr. Evans was so furious that he could barely speak. In the end, he exasperatedly said, “Maddie, you need to work harder in Bayside City. If only you were half as good as Christine… Everybody is talking about you behind your back! No matter what, you are still a resident of Bayside City. If you don’t make a name for yourself, you’ll be ashamed. Similarly, I’ll be ashamed too!”

She replied, “I want to make a name for myself too! But, 70,000 to 80,000 is cheap considering the housing prices in Bayside City! It wasn’t easy for Joel and me to save up that money. Where are we going to get that money again if we use it all to buy a house for my elder brother?! Look; this is as far as I’ll get in life. Put your hopes in my brothers instead!”

After saying that, she hung up the phone and immediately went to greet the logistics department.Please treat those two well; give them the most difficult and tiring tasks! If they can’t take it, they can scram! The company will not employ lazy workers!

When Tawny learned about this, she was extremely annoyed. She thought that she would be able to move into Maddie’s house if her family spoke up on her behalf; she believed that she could instantly create a spark between her and her cousin’s aristocratic husband.

Unfortunately, Tawny had been working in the company for half a month now. Even so, Maddie never once spoke about her husband during that period. Her husband never came to pick her up from work either—she drove herself to and from work every single day. Similarly, that Range Rover did not appear again since then. Besides, Maddie’s department was located very far from Tawny’s department. It was practically impossible to run into each other, and Maddie never bothered to call Tawny to ask after her.

Therefore, Tawny visited Maddie’s office from time to time and deliberately made small talk with Maddie. “Maddie, it’s Saturday tomorrow. Why don’t you bring me out to eat? It’s so boring to eat alone. Besides, Joel hasn’t been introduced to our family yet. My dad and the rest of the family are really looking forward to meeting him!”

Maddie answered the questions, one by one. “I’m working overtime this weekend, so I’m not free. Joel works in the army—they’re not allowed to use their phones!”

Tawny rolled her eyes in response. “Maddie, can you let me drive that Range Rover of yours? My brother and I want to drive to Longbeach Fort to go sightseeing!”

Maddie lowered her head to work on her manuscript. “I borrowed that car from my unit leader. If you want to use the car, you can ask my unit leader yourself.”

Then, Tawny sweetly said, “Come on; let’s eat together during the weekend. Ask Joel to join us so that the rest of the family can meet him. My brother has not met Joel yet!”

Maddie pushed her glasses up her nose. “Joel is on duty. He won’t be able to make it since he is outstation. You can eat on your own; don’t mind us.”

All of a sudden, Tawny noticed that Maddie seemed to be using the latest Dragon Eye mobile phone. That model was very popular right now. When she was still studying, all her classmates bought Serpent and Dragon Eye mobile phones—it was a status symbol among them. Hence, she quickly said, “Maddie, can you lend me some money? I want to buy a new Dragon Eye.”

Maddie replied, “The latest model is more than 10,000 each. Where would I find that money?! This phone was provided by the company.”

“Can’t you give me one? You have several of them!” Tawny cajoled with a bright smile.

Maddie replied without even lifting her head, “These phones are supplied by the company so that I can carry out my work. Besides, all of them are being used.”

Unable to persuade Maddie, Tawny stomped her feet in anger before going back to continue cleaning the toilet.Stingy grouch! This company has more work than Christine’s company! It’s more tiring too! It’s not easy to slack off during work, the pay is not high, and there are no independent accommodations! Moreover, it’s not as comfortable as staying with Christine. Christine even allowed me to freely take her lipstick and clothes!

Unbeknownst to her, Maddie immediately called the logistics department as soon as Tawny left. “Tawny Bishop left her workstation without authorization. Deduct her wages as you see fit.”

Initially, Tawny came here to work thinking that she could take the opportunity to move into Maddie’s house. She wanted the opportunity to create a little something between Joel and her. Contrary to her expectations, Maddie’s family turned out to be so poor!Broke b*tch!

Therefore, she called home every day, making up stories about how poor Maddie was while complaining about how bad the job Maddie introduced to her was. She wanted the entire county to know how poor Maddie was and how useless Maddie’s husband was.

As a result, Maddie’s family called Maddie every day too. They complained that people were talking badly about them. Thus, they wanted Maddie to arrange better accommodations for Tawny and her brother. Their reason was that Maddie took them in, so she had to do that for them. In response, Maddie thought to herself,Go f*ck yourselves.

One day, Linus and Sophia came to Maddie’s unit. Under normal circumstances, Linus would never come over on his own even if he agreed to an interview with them. However, he happened to be having a meeting nearby and decided to drop by on his own. Coincidentally, Sophia had business with Maddie and followed along.

As soon as they entered the door, they saw a young lady in heavy makeup sweeping the floor in the lobby. When Linus brushed by her, the young lady suddenly passed out for some reason and collapsed next to him. Shocked by the lady’s sudden fainting spell, Linus quickly picked her up and prepared to send her to the hospital.

The moment Maddie heard that Linus and Sophia were here, she hurried out to greet them. However, she was greeted with the sight of Linus carrying Tawny. She’s up to her tricks again!“Linus, put her down. We’ll take care of her.”

Linus’ blue eyes were filled with uncertainty when he heard those words. Looking at the young lady’s condition, she seemed to be in a terrible state!

Thus, Maddie assured him. “Don’t worry. That’s my cousin. Her chronic disease is flaring up. She faints whenever her blood sugar levels drop. She’ll be fine with some rest. Your time is precious; let’s proceed with the interview. ”

Upon hearing those words, Linus put Tawny down and went with Maddie for his interview. On the other hand, Tawny was sent to the hospital. The hospital ran a blood test on her, which racked up a medical bill of over 1,000. Since she did not have any medical insurance, she could not claim a single penny and had to pay out of her pocket.

As a result, she felt extremely aggrieved and furious. The only reason she turned on the cleaning robot in the lobby every day was so that she could catch a rich husband for herself. After all, rich and influential people constantly came and went from Maddie’s unit. She knew a rich man had arrived as soon as she saw Linus. However, Maddie ruined her plans just as she was about to succeed. Thus, she called home to complain again. This time around, that wasn’t enough to appease her anger, and she made another phone call to an uncle of hers that was working in Bayside City.

Soon, private calls blew up Maddie’s phone, one after the other, while she was interviewing Linus—so much so that she decided to turn off her phone. She had seen through what Tawny was thinking at a glance.She has gone crazy trying to lure a rich husband into her grasp. Seriously; why doesn’t she take a look at herself in the mirror first?

After Linus finished his interview, he rested by the side. Then, Sophia took the chance to talk to Maddie. “Maddie, that cousin of yours, Christine Bishop… She’s not in a relationship, right?”

Maddie sorted out her manuscript as she replied, “Mm-hmm.”

Sophia continued asking, “What do you think of her and Stan as a couple?”

Maddie fell silent for a moment. She was also aware of the recent rumors flying around among the Fletchers about how Christine and Stanley were in a relationship. She questioned Christine about it and confirmed that they were not in a relationship. Moreover, she had warned Christine not to go beyond her station. Fortunately, Christine was not Tawny. She was sensible and not prone to dreaming. Maddie hurriedly answered, “No way; no way. Christine and Stanley?! They have different ranks!”

“Tsk. Why are you still talking about ranks in this day and age?! They look well-matched to me. Besides, it’s so rare for Stan to have a woman he can talk to!” Sophia continued saying.

Even so, Maddie continued to wave her hand dismissively.If Stanley and Christine were to get together, the Bishop Family would learn about the Fletcher Family’s existence. If that happens, they will get carried away! They won’t just be asking for jobs by then! It’s quite possible that they will ask for a house for their preparations. They might even use the Fletcher Family’s name to play tyrant in their hometown!

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1326

“No way; no way. There’s a huge social gap between them… It’s just not right.” Maddie vigorously waved her hand in dismissal. “You don’t understand. Marriage needs to be between people of the same social standing too. The difference between their social standing is too vast; it’s not acceptable.”

Sophia hurriedly said, “Come on! What era are you living in? Why are you bothered by social standing in this day and age? Look at you and the commanding general! Didn’t you two break through the social gap too? I believe Stan and Christine will make a great pair. They look so good together! Besides, they seem to be getting along very well recently!”

Sophia believed that Stanley was finally going to graduate from singlehood. After all, he came to Sophia with all the hopes of the Fletcher Family riding on his shoulders, asking her to matchmake him with Christine. Contrary to her expectations, Maddie vigorously dismissed the notion. “No way; no way. Our family is very conservative. We don’t dream of marrying above our station. Even now, my marriage with Joel can be considered marrying above my station.”

No matter how Sophia tried to persuade her, she refused to change her stance. She wished from the bottom of her heart for Stanley to find himself a good wife. She also wished that Christine could find a husband that would share her burdens with her. At the very least, it wouldn’t be as tiring as struggling alone. More importantly, she felt that the two of them were a great match too. But… there’s a reason why the saying ‘a good match is between families of equal standing’ has existed for thousands of years. It’s not just about financial standings; it’s also about one’s values and beliefs—those aspects have to match too.

Look at Sophia; her father is Cooper Mitchell while her brother is Linus Michel. They’re both highly influential figures, which match Michael Fletcher’s status perfectly as they all stand on the same social class.

There is a world of difference between people of different social classes. Unfortunately, Christine’s family is… Christine and Maddie’s families came from a small country town located deep in the countryside. It was a remote and conservative place. When Maddie was studying in high school, she was an elite student with excellent grades. She was originally supposed to enter the elite class. However, she had a cousin that was studying in the same school and the same grade as her. He failed to make it into the elite class due to his low scores. As a result, her family succeeded in negotiating with the school and transferred her placement over to her cousin.

From the school to the Evans Family, everybody believed that the spot should have been given to her cousin; even Maddie herself believed that. They believed that boys were the hope of the family while girls were not. She was considered extremely blessed in their society that her family could even afford to send her to high school as most girls only studied until junior high school. That was the common mindset among her society and her entire family. People who came from that little society held values and beliefs that were surprisingly consistent.

Later, Maddie was admitted into a first-tier university at Provincial City with excellent scores despite being in the ordinary class. Meanwhile, her cousin that had taken her place in the elite class could only be admitted into an inferior second-tier university with his scores. Unfortunately, the tuition fees for a first-tier university were too high, and her family could not afford it. Therefore, she had no choice but to reject the offer and seek another option. Alas, she entered a third-tier university with much lower tuition fees despite her high scores. When I think back on it now, that must have been the stupidest choice in my life. But, growing up in that environment… I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with my decision at the time.

Even though Maddie chose to study in a third-tier university, her family felt that she shouldn’t have furthered her studies in university and refused to pay for her tuition fees. She had to pay for them herself by taking up a part-time job writing manuscripts. During her internship in her junior year, she went back to the country town and worked at a small newspaper office. Moreover, she had to hand over a portion of her salary to her cousin who was studying in the second-tier university for his living expenses. Afterward, her cousin took her money and went on a lavish graduation trip while she worked at the newspaper office until she had low blood sugar levels. Even so, she felt that it was only right for her to do so.

The feudalistic social norms of the past remained strong in a closed-off society like theirs, and the entire society was enveloped in a strange culture. They believed that girls were born only to contribute to their families. As such, women did not deserve to study. They should only study until junior high school before dropping out to work and earn money for their brothers to go to school.

More importantly, they had to earn money so that they could buy houses for their brothers’ marriages. Once the houses were bought, their families would then introduce a local unmarried man to them. Discussions on the dowry generally began after several meetings, and the dowry usually started from a minimum of 100,000. Not surprisingly, the dowries they received would be used to supplement their brothers’ marriages.

Even after getting married, they were still expected to continue supporting their natal family while giving birth to children. Specifically, they had to give birth to sons. If they couldn’t produce sons, both their in-laws and their natal family would blame them for being useless. Aside from that, women were not allowed to be seated at the table during banquets nor enter the ancestral graves. Even when the family received compensation according to headcount for forced relocation, only men were considered. Every family practiced these customs throughout the generations. Naturally, Maddie and Christine were not an exception.

Unexpectedly, an earthquake completely changed Maddie’s life. Back then, the building of the newspaper office she was working in collapsed after the earthquake. She was buried under the building; she was stuck in a small crack under the rubble. Despite desperately screaming for help, she only heard more screams and crying sounds coming from everywhere. Nobody came to save her, and her phone was not working. When she lifted her head among the rubble, she could only see a despairingly small sky.

At that moment, a man descended from the sky in a military green parachute and landed next to the rubble. He removed the panels pressing down on her and rescued her from among the rubble. At the same time, he rescued her from a gray and gloomy period of her life. When she followed Joel back to the Fletcher Residence, she discovered a completely different world. In their world, not only could the women study, but they were also allowed to eat at the table and enter the ancestral graves. They also fought in wars!

A new chapter opened up in Maddie’s life from that moment on. Therefore, she encouraged her cousin, Christine, to never give up on her dreams during high school. She also supported Christine in pursuing e-sports and taking her university entrance exams by paying for whatever Christine could not afford. Afterward, she even encouraged Christine to move to Bayside City for her personal growth.

Looking back on her life, she realized that her original family was extremely different from the Fletchers—they were living in completely different worlds. It’s because I know just how great the gaps are between them that I absolutely refuse to agree to the marriage between Stanley and Christine! Marriage isn’t only about two people—it’s an issue between two families. If both families are unable to get along with each other, that marriage will never be a happy one!

While Sophia was trying to convince Maddie, Linus was resting in another lounge, reading the newspaper and drinking some tea. Since it was still early, it didn’t hurt to let them have a chat among themselves. Besides, everybody knew who he was and did not dare to harass him. However, not long after he sat down, a middle-aged man suddenly entered the lounge while nodding and bowing.

“Hi, mister! Are you resting here?” A voice speaking broken Cethosian in a heavy southern accent rang out.

Even so, Linus understood what the man was saying. “Yes, that’s right. Where did you come from?”

That man let himself in. Behind him stood another man and a woman, who were very young. Somehow, Linus could help thinking that the woman seemed strangely familiar. Ah; she’s the lady that passed out in the lobby just now.

Then, the man sat down next to Linus, acting like they were very close. He enthusiastically began to introduce himself. “You must be Maddie’s friend, right? I’m her second uncle on her mother’s side, Byron Evans.”

Maddie’s uncle on her mother’s side? Thus, Linus greeted him politely. “Nice to meet you, Uncle Byron. My name is Linus—”

Byron was being overly friendly toward Linus. At the same time, he surreptitiously asked about Linus’ background while making small talk. “Wow! Young man, you must be a foreigner! You’re more fluent in the Cethosian language than I am! You must have settled down in Bayside City for many years now, right? Have you bought a house here?”

Linus thought to himself, No matter what, this man is Maddie’s uncle and she’s now the matriarch of the Fletcher Family. I can’t be discourteous. Thus, he answered patiently, “I’ve been in Bayside City for many years now. I live with my father and my sister.”

“Have you bought a house? Do you have a car? What do you do for a living? How much is your salary? Are you registered in the household registry of Bayside City? Are you married?”

Upon hearing those questions, Linus was rendered speechless.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1327

Despite how hard Sophia tried persuading Maddie, Maddie refused to budge. I wonder what’s making Maddie so resolute? Sophia decided that she still had many chances in the future and ended things for today, planning to try again in another two days.

Afterward, Maddie decided to see Linus and Sophia on their way. Walking into the lounge with Sophia to look for Linus, she saw her second uncle that had just arrived at Bayside City to work. He was surrounding Linus with Tawny and her brother behind him. I can’t believe Tawny called him over!

Byron had a grimace on his face as he leaned close to Linus while saying, “Look; this is my niece. She is 19 years old. Isn’t she quite the pretty one? Her family conditions are great too. Why don’t you exchange contact numbers or add each other on Messenger? You should chat with each other a little…”

Tawny pulled up her Messenger on her phone. Then, she blushingly stepped forward to add Linus on Messenger.

Linus looked troubled. “Uncle Byron, I’m sorry but I don’t really use Messenger.”

Any discerning person would know with a single glance that Linus was rejecting them. However, Byron did not know what it meant to be reserved and even went so far as to enthusiastically reach out to take Linus’ phone. “Don’t worry; I’ll teach you. Come—”

Maddie stared at the scene in front of her with her mouth agape… Feeling confused, Sophia stepped forward and asked, “What are you doing?”

Linus immediately stood up as soon as he saw that she was here and eagerly said, “Sofie, you’re here! Let’s go back now.”

On the other hand, Byron’s face brightened up when he saw Sophia. He excitedly said, “Hello! You must be Mr. Linus’ younger sister! I’m Byron Evans, Maddie’s second uncle on her mother’s side!”

Oh, it’s Maddie’s uncle! Thus, she greeted him. “Nice to meet you, Uncle Byron…”

Listening to the way he talked, she realized that he mistakenly thought that ‘Linus’ was their surname. Thus, she was just about to correct his misconception when he dragged the young man standing next to him into the conversation. “Come; come here. Miss Linus, this is my nephew. He’s 21 this year. Besides, he hasn’t gotten a partner yet. Why don’t you guys get to know each other?”

She couldn’t help feeling weird. Looking at the young man, he didn’t look like much. Rather, he had a shifty look. I’m sure he’s no good. Still, it was Maddie’s relative. She did not want to put Maddie in a difficult position, so she politely replied, “Hi, nice to meet you.”

The young man had never seen such a young and beautiful woman before. Thus, he was so charmed that he couldn’t move anymore. Swallowing nervously, he said, “Hello, my name is—”

All of a sudden, Maddie spoke up with a smile. “Oh, my; look at the time. We talked so much that we lost track of time. Sophia, Linus, your car is waiting downstairs. Why don’t you leave first? Otherwise, the elevator will be jam-packed with people soon.”

“Let’s go,” Linus swiftly said. He was certain that Byron was up to something. Since just now, this man has been trying his best to inquire about my financial situation while introducing me to that girl. Her entire face is caked with a thick layer of makeup—it reminds me of a monkey’s butt. Thus, he hurriedly dragged Sophia away. Similarly, Maddie looked extremely upset as she hastily led Linus and Sophia away.

Upon seeing that, Byron became anxious and quickly rushed after them. “Mr. Linus! Why don’t you leave your contact number with us?!”

In response, Linus sullenly dragged Sophia away with him. Maddie, who was leading the way, shot a glare at her assistant when she saw her family members chasing after them. Following that, her assistant immediately stepped forward and stopped the Evans Family from approaching the siblings. “This is the VIP elevator; you are not allowed to enter.” They’ve been irritating me for a while now. How dare they harass a VIP?!

As a result, Byron, Tawny, and her brother could only watch as Maddie led Linus and Sophia into the elevator. They were so anxious that they nearly hopped about in anxiety. Argh! We nearly became the relatives of somebody in Bayside City!

Inside the elevator, Maddie stood in a corner. She felt cold all over; there was an indescribable emotion in her heart—a mix of both disgust and fury at the same time. This is what I’ve been worried about! I was scared that one day, my relatives would approach the Fletcher Family. They will surely try to weasel their way into an influential family without any inhibitions just to raise their status… Just look at the two siblings from the Bishop Family! Don’t they ever look in the mirror?! She felt the utter humiliation brought to her by her natal family. It made her all the more aware that she, Sophia, and the Fletcher Family were in completely different social classes. That realization left her feeling inferior and furious.

Meanwhile, Sophia seemed to realize something belatedly. That old man was probably trying to matchmake me with that guy. Tsk; just looking at his shifty-eyed expression tells me that he’s not a good person. If it were any other person, I would have slapped them without hesitation… This is probably why Maddie refuses to let Christine and Stanley get together, as well as why I’ve never heard her mention her natal family before.

They soon arrived on the first floor. Maddie could tell that Linus was in a bad mood and realized that Byron must have greatly offended him. Hence, she did not dare to say a word. She simply forced a smile on her face while seeing them off. To her surprise, she saw Christine rushing over as soon as she opened the door. “Maddie, I heard from my mother that Tawny fainted suddenly. She asked me to come and check on her.” When Christine noticed Sophia and Linus, she immediately respectfully said, “Sophia, Mr. Michel! Why are you here too?”

However, Linus was in a terrible mood. He simply nodded before getting into the car with Sophia. Before Sophia got into the car, she turned to Maddie and said, “I’m sorry. Linus is not in a good mood today. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Maddie smiled bitterly in response. After Linus and Sophia left, she felt tears swimming in her eyes.

“Maddie, what’s wrong?! Please don’t scare me!” Christine lightly tugged at Maddie’s arm.

Wiping away tears, Maddie said, “It’s nothing.”

Then, they both went upstairs and returned to the lounge just now. Sure enough; the atmosphere inside was completely different now. Byron was solemnly sitting on a chair with a majestic and imposing expression—he was like a guardian. Similarly, the Bishop siblings were standing next to Byron. They were practically spitting fire from their eyes. As soon as Byron saw Maddie approaching, he pointed to the ground in front of him. “Kneel, now!”

However, Maddie did not move. After coming to Bayside City for so many years, these words no longer worked on her. In the remote country town that was their hometown, those words were an absolute command when spoken by a male elder to a female younger than them. Therefore, Byron was livid when he saw that Maddie refused to kneel. He felt that his authority was greatly challenged. Taking out his phone, he furiously threatened, “Just you wait! I’m going to call your father right now! And, your grandfather too! They will know about this!”

Upon hearing those words, the Bishop siblings became happy. Their reactions made it seem like informing Maddie’s parents about her digressions was akin to a death sentence. How dare she ruin our marriage prospects?! If it wasn’t for her coming to cause trouble, we might have gotten the contact information of the Linus siblings! We could have quickly gotten close to them!

When Christine heard those words, she became anxious. This is such a trivial matter; how can they immediately raise the issue with the family?! “Uncle Byron, what on earth happened—”

Seeing that Maddie refused to kneel and admit her mistake, Byron took out his phone and pretended to dial a number. “I’m really going to make the call! Don’t think I won’t dare to do it!”

Maddie scoffed. However, her reddened eyes were filled with tears.

Then, he dialed the number while berating her in a loud voice. “You rebellious girl! Your parents have wasted their efforts raising you! Just you wait!”

He was already displeased with her long before she ruined the Bishop siblings’ ‘marriages’. Seeing that his relatives and friends were heading to Bayside City to work, he hurriedly called Maddie and told her to arrange a job for him. Contrary to his expectations, she made him attend the interview himself, saying that it depended on his own abilities as to whether he could get the job. Moreover, she made him look for his own place to stay too. I don’t know anybody in Bayside City. Where am I supposed to find a place to stay?! She is obviously trying to make things difficult for me! She doesn’t respect me at all!

In the end, he called the Bishop Family instead. Without another word, they immediately asked Christine to book his flight tickets to Bayside City. It was his first time flying in a plane. When he got off the plane, Christine even sent her assistant to pick him up and send him to a hotel. All he needed to do was stay there. Several days later, Christine told him that she found him a job at a cybercafé. Not only was the job easy, but it also paid well. Maddie is nothing compared to Christine!

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1328

Byron called Maddie’s father on the spot, deliberately making the call right in front of Maddie and turning on the loudspeaker. As soon as the call connected, he said, “Oh, Maxton! This daughter of yours is such a worthless good-for-nothing!”

Following that, he immediately poured his heart out about all the ‘wrongs’ he suffered to Mr. Evans, detailing everything from his job-hunting incident to the ‘marriage’ incident between the Bishop siblings.

“I already heard all I needed about them. Their surname is Linus. They have a household registry in Bayside City, a stable career, a car, and a house! Aren’t they the perfect match for the Bishop siblings?! Moreover, they’re brothers and sisters too, just like the Bishop siblings! We could have become one big family in the future! It would have been a piece of cake to discuss the dowry! But, Maddie, this useless child… Not only did she refuse to introduce her family to such great partners, but she also ruined the marriage discussions! Do you know what she did?! When she saw that the children were getting along so well, she went and chased them away! Maxton, I’m not one to hold grudges, but Maddie truly went overboard this time—”

Christine pieced together a general idea of what was going on from what she heard and finally understood why Maddie felt so humiliated. Meanwhile, Tawny and her brother were standing there looking triumphant. Christine glanced at them and thought to herself, How dare these two… even think about approaching Linus and Sophia?! She blurted out loudly, “Don’t even think about trying to get close to them!”

To her surprise, Byron reacted strongly to her outburst. “Shut up! The adults are talking! This is no place for children!” Glaring hard at Maddie, who was crying silently by the side, Byron couldn’t help feeling that he had already won half the battle. Maddie’s shameful actions will soon be spread throughout the family. Her life will become a living hell! If she’s unable to hold her head up high back home… that’s no better than death! Hence, he raised his voice on purpose and said, “Tawny and her brother have such great qualities! Their family is not poor. Besides, they have a car and a house too. Why are they not a good match for each other? Even Maddie managed to marry over to Bayside City. Why can’t Tawny do the same?!”

Upon hearing those words, Christine stared at Byron in disbelief. For the first time in her life, she wondered, Is everybody back home this stupid? Sophia and Linus are top students of Bayside University! What’s more, they each own huge companies despite their youth! They come from the highest class of aristocrats! The siblings are celebrities worth billions—not somebody Maddie’s company can invite over just as they please! Seriously; the Bishop siblings are nothing in comparison! Don’t they have any self-awareness?! Do they think of themselves as kings just because they own several settlements back in our hometown?! How dare they even think about approaching Sophia and Linus?!

“Fine, fine… I’ll shut up; I’ll shut up…” While saying that, she comforted Maddie. At this point, Maddie was so furious that she couldn’t utter a single word anymore. Her entire body was trembling slightly, and tears fell from her eyes continuously as she glared savagely at Byron.

Byron was sitting with his leg crossed over his knee while calling home with his phone on loudspeaker. He made several phone calls right in front of Maddie, talking for more than an hour straight. The more he talked, the angrier he got. He wanted both the Evans Family and the Bishop Family to know all about Maddie’s ‘scandalous acts’.

A short while later, everybody in their hometown knew about Maddie’s ‘scandalous acts’. From the way Byron told the story, the truth was completely twisted to become a tale where Tawny and her brother were in marriage discussions with a pair of siblings that were quite desirable. However, Maddie appeared and arbitrarily ruined the marriage discussions out of spite and malice. Not wanting the Bishop siblings to settle down in the city, she deliberately ruined their marriages!

Meanwhile, Maddie couldn’t stop her tears from falling. She said nothing, simply listening to how they distorted the facts and blew their own trumpets. She cried not because Byron was bad-mouthing her to her face but because she hated herself for being born into such a family. It made her feel like she was covered in filth; it made her feel like she was not worthy of Joel.

Mr. Evans’ furious roar came from the phone that was on loudspeaker. “Maddie Evans! Kneel right now! Kneel! Kneel and beg for forgiveness! Otherwise, I will disown you! You better think of a way to make things right after destroying their marriages! Immediately arrange a blind date for the siblings! Do it immediately! Immediately!”

At that moment, Maddie finally wiped away her tears and swallowed her anger. She cryingly said in a heartfelt yet trembling voice, “Those siblings hold degrees from Bayside University. Besides, they are worth billions. They live in a completely different world from us. It’s not a suitable match—”

“What do you mean by ‘not a suitable match’?!” Mr. Evans furiously yelled. “How dare you look down on us country folks just because you worked in Bayside City for some time?!”

Meanwhile, Byron sat with his leg over his knee. “So what? Didn’t the daughter of the county magistrate marry a laborer from a construction site back in our hometown? That man could make his woman eat out of the palm of his hand. When she got pregnant, even the county magistrate had to recognize their marriage!”

Mr. Evans fervently agreed with Byron as he said, “That’s right; that’s right! Maddie, can’t you act a little smarter? Even if your cousin is not as financially sound as the other party, you should create more opportunities for him to shine! Why don’t you invite Miss Linus out alone so that your cousin will have more opportunities to woo her? Your cousin is such a smart boy. I’m sure it’s easy for him to get her pregnant! We’ll see how the Linus Family reacts once she is pregnant. Their unmarried daughter got herself pregnant; who else would want damaged goods like her? If they are still stubborn… Aren’t you a reporter? Why don’t you just write an article, make it a huge scandal, and ruin their reputation! We’ll see if they continue to remain stubborn! Seriously, why are you so dumb? How did I raise such a useless daughter?!”

Byron hurriedly added on. “Tawny should grab the opportunity to get herself pregnant with that man’s seed as soon as possible too! When the time comes, we’ll cause a huge ruckus. This family is wealthy; they will surely need to maintain their reputation! Therefore, they won’t dare to not marry you! With that, both of you will be registered in Bayside City’s household registry! Not only that, but you’ll also marry into a wealthy family! I’m afraid this old man won’t be able to enter through your doors the next time I come to visit you!”

Tawny immediately flattered him by saying, “That will never happen! We will always remember your kindness! We won’t be like Maddie!” When she said that, she threw a scornful look at Maddie.

At this point, Christine was absolutely livid. Dream on! They will send you all to hell!

Maddie did not know how she managed to finish listening to everything they said. Their words felt like sharp blades stabbing into the most vulnerable part of her heart. Every word stabbed into her painfully. Then, she quietly closed her eyes and forcefully squeezed out every last drop of tears in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her anger. All the grievances she experienced throughout her life and buried deep in her heart now bubbled up to the surface as she shouted at the top of her voice, “Security! Drag these three out of here! Throw them out as far as possible!”

Everybody had been waiting for those words for a long time now. Several security guards immediately rushed forward and subdued those three before dragging them away. The three of them were driven away by car and thrown out on the street somewhere far away.

“Maddie Evans, you scum!” Byron screamed in front of her while Mr. Evans screamed through the phone.

Maddie savagely snatched the phone over and yelled at the person on the other end of the phone. “I’ll be honest with all of you! You’re not worthy of those siblings! Don’t even dream about it! I will never help you with this marriage discussion! Don’t crave for what you are not worthy of! How dare you try to trick a young lady?! Go to hell! Let me tell you this: your despicable, contemptible, and inferior genes should never be passed down!”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1329

Mr. Evans was so furious that he could barely hold his phone securely. He did not expect that his daughter would say something as ridiculous as that. “Maddie Evans, I no longer have a daughter like you!”

It was just what Maddie wanted. “Fine; just think of me as dead! In any case, I am incompetent! I disgraced the family! Goodbye!”

After saying that, Maddie fiercely threw Byron’s phone to the ground. The phone smashed into the ground and broke into pieces. Following that, Byron and the Bishop siblings were dragged away. Peace returned to the world with their departure. Then, Maddie slumped to the ground weakly all of a sudden, burying her face in her hands as she wept…

It was late at night. Everybody else had left the company, except Maddie. She remained at the office, working overtime without saying anything. She had not eaten anything all day long, and her personal phone had been turned off.

Christine had accompanied her the entire day out of worry. At that moment, she walked in carrying a box meal in her hands. “Maddie, I brought you dinner. Here, have some.”

Maddie lowered her head and wrote her manuscript. Sniffing slightly, she replied, “I don’t feel like eating.”

Christine said, “It’s late. Why don’t you go home? I’m sure Joel is getting worried since it’s so late.”

Maddie said, “I’m not done with work.”

Christine was extremely worried. After what happened today, Byron had given Maddie a severe tongue-lashing. Moreover, the news had quickly spread across their hometown, and Maddie was now the target of the hatred and loathing back in their hometown.

Christine also constantly received phone calls from the Evans Family; they called simply to insult and scream at Maddie. Walking out of the office, she paced about anxiously. She wanted to call Joel and ask him to come and pick Maddie up from work. However, she did not know his contact number. None of Maddie’s colleagues, who were working overtime, knew his contact number either. Thus, she did not know who had his contact number. She did not know anything about Maddie’s in-laws or her personal social circles. Mulling over it, she decided to try and call Sophia. She saw that Maddie and Sophia were friends on Messenger, so she thought Sophia might know, or at the very least, have some clue.

Inside The Imperial, Linus was still fuming over what happened during the day. Every time he closed his eyes, that face that reminded him of a monkey’s butt filled his mind. Thus, he hurriedly looked at his sister’s cute face—it was an instant cure for his ailment. Unfortunately, he would soon remember that monkey’s butt of a face again—so much so that he lost his appetite for dinner.

On the other hand, Sophia was no longer angry. Rather, she was worried since Maddie seemed unhappy today. She was tempted to call Maddie and talk to her, but she was worried about disturbing Maddie’s rest. While she was agonizing over it, a call from Christine came.

Christine was not aware that Sophia and Maddie were sisters-in-law. However, she was certain that Byron had offended Linus and Sophia today. Putting aside the fact that Maddie had broken all ties with her family today, she had also been scolded by the head of the newspaper office for upsetting the young master of the Michel Group. The head of the newspaper office claimed that Linus was somebody their small newspaper office could not afford to offend.

Therefore, Christine cautiously apologized to Sophia, seemingly scared that Sophia was still angry about it. “Sophia, I’m sorry about what happened today. It’s the first time Uncle Byron came to the city, so he is not familiar with the rules here. Maddie has berated them for their behavior. Furthermore, she had a big fight with her family because of this. She also got scolded by the head of the newspaper office too. I really hope you don’t take it to heart. Maddie will come and personally apologize to you on another day.”

Sophia had not expected things to turn out this way. Hence, she quickly said, “Don’t worry about it. I’m not bothered by it. Why don’t you bring Maddie home? It’s so late!”

Upon hearing how polite Sophia was, Christine felt even more uneasy. Sophia had to coax her for quite a while before she finally got over her uneasiness and said, “Maddie refuses to leave. I wanted to ask Joel to come and pick her up but… I don’t have his contact number…”

Unfortunately, Sophia did not know either. Thus, she hurriedly asked Michael to call and ask Joel to go and pick Maddie up from her workplace. After ending the call with Christine, she let out a long sigh. Just then, Michael finished his call with Joel, turned around, and asked her about the events that transpired today.

Sophia managed to glean some information from her call with Christine just now. Combining what she heard from Linus today, she more or less had an idea of the overall situation. When I recall the looks those siblings gave me and Linus… Ugh; her makeup reminds me of a monkey’s butt. And, she had a pretentious expression too! It’s as terrifying as it could get!

When Michael heard the story from Sophia, he was immediately reminded of his pitiful mother. Back when she married Theo, she had concealed her family from him too. She never allowed him to come into contact with the Murray Family. Even now, Michael and his siblings had never met Elizabeth’s natal family. Maddie probably comes from a similar kind of family… Back then, many factors had contributed to Elizabeth’s suicide, including Theo’s death, Tanya’s persecution, and her complete disappointment in her natal family.

It was late at night by the time Joel drove to Maddie’s workplace in a rush. Christine had waited at the entrance for a long time. When she saw Joel, her eyes were slightly red. “Joel, please go and check on Maddie. She has been crying all day long. Moreover, she hasn’t taken a single bite since lunch.”

Therefore, Joel rushed upstairs after hearing those words.

Inside the office, Maddie was finishing up that day’s manuscripts while crying non-stop. Her dinner sat beside her untouched—she couldn’t bring herself to take a bite. Since coming to Bayside City, she had been exposed to a completely new way of thinking and a brand-new culture. Only then did she realize just how unbearable and unsightly her family was. They were openly plotting against my friend right in front of me today. I’m sure that they will also be plotting against Joel and the Fletchers in the future. But, what can I do? I didn’t choose to be born into such a family!

All of a sudden, the door to the office opened. She lifted her head only to see Joel’s tall and large figure standing in the doorframe. Surprised, she hurriedly wiped away her tears. “Joel?! Why are you here?”

Joel walked over. His deep eyes were filled only with the sight of her and her teary visage as he said in a low voice, “I came to pick you up.”

Maddie regularly worked overtime, especially if she encountered breaking news. She constantly had to drag herself out of bed in the middle of the night to work on her manuscripts. As a result, Joel was used to it and did not realize something was wrong when she did not come home today. It wasn’t until he received a call from Michael that he learned about the incident that had taken place today. At this moment, he did not say anything else and simply pulled her into his arms quietly. Lightly patting her on the back, he said, “It’s okay; it’s okay… I’m right here; don’t be scared…”

She buried her face in his chest, rubbing against him piteously and weeping softly.

Then, he kissed her face lightly. “It’s alright; it’s over. It’s no big deal. In the future, we won’t contact anybody from your hometown anymore, okay?” From what Michael and Christine told me, that family sounds like trouble. They are not worthy of my wife.

She had long since lost all patience for her family. However, she still felt empty inside when the time came to cut them off. She couldn’t tell if she felt empty or relieved. In any case, it was an uncomfortable feeling.

“Joel, I don’t think I’m worthy of you…” Maddie did not know how many times this thought had crossed her head. Even so, Joel fiercely kept those thoughts at bay, every single time. “Maddie Evans, how many times have I told you this? Marrying you is the best thing that has ever happened to me!”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1330

htly. Whenever she hugged him, it felt like she gained infinite strength and courage.

Then, he held her face and said to her in all seriousness, “I am your husband. Promise me; the next time something like this happens, you have to tell me. Okay?”

She nodded vigorously as tears overflowed from her eyes again. Turning on her phone, she saw that there were numerous missed calls and text messages as well as messages on Messenger. They were all scolding her in one way or another. Some of the family group chats were also berating her for being inhumane and unfilial, and ruining the Bishop siblings’ ‘marriages’.

As soon as Maddie’s phone was turned on again, Mr. Evans’ call came through. she was just about to hang up on him when Joel suddenly took the phone from her and answered the call. Mr. Evan’s voice immediately sounded from the other side of the phone, blowing up at her at the top of his voice. “Maddie Evans, do you still regard me as your father?! Look at how angry you’ve made Uncle Byron! Did you think I won’t be able to do anything to you since you’ve settled down in Bayside City?! I’m telling you; I have many ways to deal with you! I’m giving you two days to come home and beg for forgiveness!”

Upon hearing that voice, Maddie froze for a moment. It felt as if a bucket of ice water came pouring down on her head, filling her heart with sorrow and disappointment. Squeezing her hand slightly, Joel spoke to the other person on the phone. “Nice to meet you, father-in-law. I am Maddie’s lover, Joel Fletcher. I do not believe Maddie did anything wrong during today’s incident. If you have any objections, you can find me in Bayside City at any time. I will explain it to you myself.”

When Mr. Evans heard his son-in-law’s voice, he became even ruder than before. “You b*stard! What sort of black magic did you cast on my daughter that made her so mesmerized?! How dare she no longer obey me?!”

Joel continued in a calm voice, “Maddie is an independent individual. She has no obligation to do anything for your family.” After saying that, he hung up.

It was nearly 9 PM. Christine was still waiting outside Maddie’s office. Calculating the time, she had to rush home as soon as Maddie left for home, lest she was criticized for going home late again.

As expected, Joel had the means to cheer Maddie up. Not long after he arrived, Maddie came out with a smile on her face. She was all relaxed now. Since the Evans Family no longer considered her as their daughter, there was no need for her to continue keeping in contact with them. They only contact me to ask for money anyway. I might as well cut off all contact with them. I’m not scared of anything as long as Joel is here for me!

Joel was carrying Maddie’s bag. When he saw that Christine was still waiting at the entrance, he said, “Christine, it’s so late. Why don’t you come and stay over at our place for the night? It’s not convenient for you to go back alone at this hour. Besides, you’ve never been to our house before, right?”

Christine hurriedly replied, “It’s okay. I need to hurry back home!”

At this moment, Maddie felt liberated. Since I no longer need to interact with the Evans Family again, it doesn’t matter anymore. Thus, she said, “Let’s go; you’ve kept me company all day long today. I’m sure you haven’t had dinner either. Come on; let’s go to my house for supper.”

Christine’s stomach was rumbling out of hunger. Besides, it wasn’t easy to catch a bus at this hour and it was very expensive to take a taxi home. I might as well follow Maddie to her house to have a look.

Joel drove his Land Rover as usual. Therefore, they arrived home in less than 20 minutes. When Christine saw the imposing residential area with military flags flying at the gate, as well as people standing guard at the entrance, she knew that it was probably where Maddie lived. After all, they were living in a house allocated to them by the military.

Joel drove in and handed over his credentials. Then, the sentry saluted to Joel. It was the first time Christine had ever entered this place. It felt like everything was military green everywhere she looked, and everybody inside the community had a stocky build. It was a little intimidating.

After the car came to a stop, they came out of the garage. Christine followed behind Maddie. Everything looked extremely interesting to her. However, she felt a little scared to look around. She was scared that she might accidentally witness some sort of military secret and get killed for it. As a result, she walked with her head down and did not dare to look around. The tinkling sound of a bell came from in front, then she suddenly heard a familiar voice. “Hey, Uncle Joel! Did you go out for supper in the middle of the night?”

Christine lifted her head abruptly. She did not expect to see Stanley here. Stanley was walking his dog in a pair of slippers, and there was a bell hanging from the collar of his husky. Joel looked at Stanley as he said, “Stan, why don’t you join us?”

For a moment, Stanley thought he heard wrongly. Did Joel just invite me over to his house to eat?! This is interesting! He quickly turned his dog around and eagerly said, “Sure! What are we having?” To his surprise, he suddenly noticed Christine standing next to Maddie. The sight of her gave him a shock. “Hey, is that Christine? Why are you here?”

Christine was shocked too. She looked at Joel, then looked at Stanley before looking back at Maddie. Maddie did not bother hiding the fact anymore and explained, “Stan is Joel’s nephew!”

It was the first time Stanley heard of that too. “Wow! Is Christine your younger sister, Aunt Maddie?”

Maddie embarrassedly replied, “She is my cousin on my mother’s side.”

Meanwhile, Christine was so shocked that she was at a loss for what to say… It was her first time coming to Bayside City. Therefore, she was completely unaware of the situation between the powerful factions in Bayside City. After the Fashion Week, she heard from some well-informed seniors that both Stanley and Taylor were part of the Fletcher Family. Only then did she vaguely learn about the existence of the Fletcher Family. It was reportedly a military family which produced many generals. Even the God of War, Mark Fletcher, that everybody knew about was part of the Fletcher Family.

She heard that the Fletcher Family was very prominent. Many female celebrities from the entertainment circles desperately wanted to marry into the Fletcher Family. However, the Fletcher Family was an existence that even the bigshots in the entertainment industry could not hope to join. She heard that Taylor was crowned the Academy Award for Best Actor winner twice. Moreover, he was the largest shareholder of The Imperial. Even though he was standing at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry, he was nothing special within the Fletcher Family. I can’t believe Maddie is married to Stanley’s uncle! Wow! Looks like this paratrooper is quite something! Maybe he’s the best among all the other paratroopers!

By the time they arrived at Joel’s place, the kitchen was already cooking up something delicious. Christine noticed that Maddie’s house was quite spacious after she entered. The houses allocated by the military are quite large. If each household lives in a one-bedroom apartment, this building probably holds several dozen households!

Joel asked Stanley to keep Christine company for a while as he accompanied Maddie upstairs to change her clothes. Then, Christine saw many pictures adorning the walls of the living room. Curious, she went over to take a look at them. There were photos of Maddie and Joel’s wedding, family photos, as well as photos of Joel in his military uniform with various people.

“Hmm? Isn’t this the legendary Old Master Fletcher? Joel is standing right next to him! Wow! That’s the president! Why is Joel standing next to the president?! This person standing next to Joel… isn’t he the one that’s always in the news—” The more Christine looked, the more shocked she became. Just who on earth is Joel?!